On the 56th anniversary of Apollo 11, OMEGA is remembering humankind’s very first Moon landing, and the role that its Speedmaster watches played in that legendary mission.
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland – July 22, 2025
History was made at 02:56 UTC on July 21st, 1969, when the first human steps were taken on the lunar surface. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin spent just 2 hours and 36 minutes outside the spacecraft on the Moon’s terrain, but their achievement left an everlasting imprint on the story of space exploration.
For their mission, each astronaut was equipped with an OMEGA Speedmaster timepiece, and the watch can famously be seen on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin during his Moonwalk. To this day, the brand remains truly proud to have kept time during that monumental journey and to be recognised as the first watch worn on the Moon.
2025 is a particularly special anniversary for OMEGA, because it marks 60 years since the Speedmaster was qualified by NASA for all manned space missions. Under the direction of Flight Crew Operations Director, Deke Slayton, the agency tested the chronographs from several watchmakers from around the world, subjecting them to extreme temperatures, shocks, vibrations, and vacuums. Only the OMEGA Speedmaster withstood the full battery of tests, and as a result, it was officially qualified on March the 1st, 1965.
